Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
UNMASKED 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE PUBLICATION www.stateofblackamerica.org2 2020 STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® UNMASKED ABOUT THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE The National Urban League is a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. Driven to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights for our nation’s marginalized populations, the National Urban League works towards economic empowerment and the elevation of the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910, and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League has improved the lives of more than two million people annually through direct service programs run by 90 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The National Urban League also conducts public policy research and advocacy work from its Washington, D.C. bureau. The National Urban League is a BBB-accredited organization and has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, placing it in the top 10% of all U.S. charities for adhering to good governance, fiscal responsibility and other best practices. PUBLISHER Marc H. Morial EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Shu-Fy H. Pongnon CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rhonda Spears Bell RESEARCH PARTNER Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sabine Louissaint SENIOR EDITOR Dr. Silas Lee CONTRIBUTOR Teresa Candori DESIGN Untuck 03 About the State of Black America ® 04 Understanding the 2020 Equality Index ™ 06 From the President’s Desk 08 Overview of the 2020 Equality Index ™ 12 COVID-19 by the Numbers 14 Authors 19 National Urban League Affiliates BLACK–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX BY CATEG CONTENTS 3 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ABOUT THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® IS THE SIGNATURE REPORTING OF THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE. First issued in 1976, the State of Black America ® is one of the most highly-anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership around racial equality in America across economics, employment, education, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation. Each edition contains penetrating commentary and insightful analysis from recognized authorities and leading figures in politics, the corporate and tech sectors, the nonprofit arena, academia and popular culture. This year, the State of Black America ® also includes the Equality Index ™ , a quantitative tool that tracks the progress of racial equality in America. The 2020 State of Black America ® , Unmasked, matches the national mood for serious introspection, exposing the human toll and economic devastation of a global pandemic on Black America while laying bare the deep-rooted inequities that predated the pandemic and accelerated the virus’s deadly spread. America caught the coronavirus and Black America caught hell. As states began to collect race-based data, a bleak picture emerged: Black, Latino and Indigenous people were getting sick and dying in higher numbers. African Americans are reportedly three times as likely to contract the coronavirus and nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as whites. The latest findings tell a chilling tale of a nation divided along racial fault lines that first erupted upon the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619. It recounts the birth of a nation whose institutions and laws were built on top of racist ideologies that continue to oppress, terrorize and disenfranchise the descendants of the enslaved today. Against the grim backdrop of an exploding public health crisis, the nation watched as a Black man was denied his God-given right to breathe, losing his life under a police officer’s knee pressed into the back of his neck for almost nine minutes. George Floyd’s last words: “I can’t breathe,” ignited a firestorm of protests over his unjust death. Americans spilled out into the streets, insisting—once more—that Black lives matter. Our reporting reveals the common denominator in the alarming and disproportionate ratio of Black people left gasping for air in emergency rooms and at the hands (and knees) of law enforcement: centuries of systemic racism. Through our partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, we examine the racial underpinnings of the pandemic, honing in on the indisputable link between our nation’s legacy of systemic racism and higher rates of Black death to COVID-19. Our authors tackle the reach of the outbreak into how we live, work and vote. They delve into the erasure of Black wealth and job gains in the wake of the historic economic collapse and record-setting unemployment. They also analyze our interconnectedness, reminding us that prisoner health is indeed public health. The fate of HBCUs come fall is debated, along with the increased risk for disinformation and voter suppression in our November 2020 election. The pandemic has forced Americans to grapple—yet again—with the enduring consequences of slavery and the prevalence of systemic racism in our society. Our public and private institutions and political systems have all been infected by this insidious disease—and must be remedied. The National Urban League stands united with all people committed to the monumental task of reckoning with our nation’s racist past—and present. We stand resolute and ready to leverage our influence and resources to break the pattern of papering over injustice with hollow reforms and symbolic gestures. We believe that without real justice, there can be no peace. To heal our nation, we must fearlessly acknowledge and address the straight and unbroken through-line that connects 1619 to COVID-19. LEARN MORE AND GET MORE AT www.stateofblackamerica.org BLACK–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX BY CATE4 2020 STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® UNMASKED WHY DOES THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE PUBLISH AN EQUALITY INDEX? Economic empowerment is the central theme of the National Urban League’s mission. The Equality Index gives us a way to document progress toward this mission for Black and Hispanic Americans relative to whites. WHAT IS THE EQUALITY INDEX TRYING TO DO? Imagine if we were to summarize how well African Americans and Hispanics are doing compared to whites in the areas of economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement and represent that by a pie. The Equality Index measures the share of that pie which African Americans and Hispanics get. Whites are used as the benchmark because the history of race in America has created advantages for whites that continue to persist in many of the outcomes being measured. THE 2020 EQUALITY INDEX OF BLACK AMERICA IS 73.8%. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? That means that rather than having a whole pie (100%), which would mean full equality with whites in 2020, African Americans are missing about 26% of the pie (Fig. 1A). Similarly, a Hispanic Index of 78.8% indicates that about 21% of the pie is missing for Hispanics (Fig. 1B). HOW IS THE EQUALITY INDEX CALCULATED? The categories that make up the Equality Index are: economics, health, education, social justice and civic engagement. In each category, we use nationally representative statistics to calculate a sub-index that captures how well African Americans and Hispanics are doing relative to whites. Each category is weighted based on the importance that we give to each. The weighted average of all five categories is then calculated to get the total Equality Index. IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEE HOW WELL AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HISPANICS ARE DOING IN EACH OF THE CATEGORIES? Yes. We show this in the tables included with the Equality Index. We estimate an index for each category that can be interpreted in the same way as the total Equality Index. So, an index of 59.2% for the economics category for African Americans in 2020 means that African Americans are missing close to half of the economics mini-pie. Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B summarize the total 2020 Equality Index and the index in each category for African Americans and Hispanics. IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEE HOW WELL AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HISPANICS ARE DOING OVER TIME? Yes. The National Urban League has published the Equality Index of Black America and all the variables used to calculate it since 2005 (Fig. 2A). The Hispanic Equality Index goes back to 2010 (Fig. 2B). IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THERE’S BEEN MUCH IMPROVEMENT IN THE EQUALITY INDEX. WHAT’S THE POINT? The Equality Index is made up of a lot of different parts. Improvements in one area are sometimes offset by losses in another area, leaving the overall index unchanged. Change often happens slowly. The Equality Index offers solid evidence of just how slowly it happens, making the index an indispensable tool for shaping the policies needed in the ongoing fight against inequality. NOT ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HISPANICS ARE DOING POORLY AND NOT ALL WHITES ARE DOING WELL. WHY DOESN’T THE EQUALITY INDEX CAPTURE CLASS DIFFERENCES? The Equality Index was created to capture racial inequality. Most of the data points are reported as averages for African Americans, whites and Hispanics. An average is the easiest way to summarize a large amount of information but can mask class differences within each group. While the Equality Index does not detail class differences, it does highlight regional differences in racial inequality through our rankings of metro area unemployment and income inequality (not included this year but available for prior years). THE 2020 EQUALITY INDEX ™ UNDERSTANDING 5 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE FIGURE 2A. BLACK–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX COMPARISON 2005 VS 2020 FIGURE 2B. HISPANIC–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX COMPARISON 2010 VS 2020 FIGURE 1A. BLACK–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX BY CATEGORY PERCENT (%) 100 100 0 ’05 ’20 ’05 ’20 ’05 ’20 ’05 ’20 ’05 ’20 ’05 ’20 PERCENT (%) 0 YEAR YEAR ’10 ’20 ’10 ’20 ’10 ’20 ’10 ’20 ’10 ’20 ’10 ’20 FIGURE 1B. HISPANIC–WHITE EQUALITY INDEX BY CATEGORY 72.9% 56.8% 76.2% 77.2% 67.5% 108.1% 73.8% 59.2% 83.8% 77.3% 57.5% 100.0% KEY / WEIGHTED INDEX CATEGORIES Equality Index Economics Health Education Social Justice Civic Engagement 30% 25% 25% 10% 10% 76.8% 60.9% 104.9% 75.2% 63.4% 71.7% 78.8% 66.9% 104.2% 73.3% 66.4% 76.8% Economics 59.2% Health 83.8% Education 77.3% Social Justice 57.5% Civic Engagement 100.0% 73.8% BLACK Social Justice 66.4% Civic Engagement 76.8% Economics 66.9% Health 104.2% Education 73.3% 78.8% HISPANIC6 2020 STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® UNMASKED 1 / Racism is the pandemic within the pandemic. The massive demonstrations against police racism and brutality that erupted after George Floyd’s death did not lead to spikes in coronavirus infection as many had feared. But those who went to protest were willing to accept the risk. “Am I going to let a disease kill me or am I going to let the system—the police?” one protester told the New York Times . “Folks who don’t have much else to lose—they understand that this system isn’t built for Black people. And that’s why people are in the streets.” 2 / Bias in health care is both explicit and implicit. Black people with COVID-19 symptoms in February and March were less likely to get tested or treated than white patients. Studies showed that doctors downplayed Black patients’ complaints of pain, prescribed weaker pain medication, and withheld cardiac treatments from Black patients who needed them. According to the New York Times, research suggests that the decisions are the result of “ingrained assumptions, cultural ignorance and hostile attitudes toward African-Americans.” 3 / Leadership matters. States where governors ignored scientific advice and lifted stay- at-home orders and other safety measures saw dramatic spikes in coronavirus infections. After New York implemented mask orders in April, new infections fell while rising elsewhere. Across the country, the actions—and inaction—of state leaders can be directly linked to the health and economic impact of the pandemic. 4 / Americans have enormous capacity for compassion. College students volunteered to replace sidelined Meals on Wheels drivers. Owners of empty RVs offered them to health care workers who needed to isolate. Wealthy celebrities and ordinary Americans alike donated laptops for school children, bought meals for essential workers, and chipped in to pay their neighbors’ bills. Amid the despair, acts of kindness shone through. 5 / #BlackLivesMatter Millions of Americans have taken part in demonstrations for racial justice, making Black Lives Matter the largest protest movement in U.S. history. Monuments celebrating white supremacy have come down. Mississippi is dropping the Confederate flag. Washington’s football team has dropped its racist logo and name. The rage in response to police killings was like a match dropped into the powder keg of grief created by the pandemic. The American people are seeing—many for the first time—the stark and deadly results of racism on an enormous scale. 6 / Black communities never fully recovered from the Great Recession. Even at record lows, in recent years the Black unemployment rate consistently remained twice as high as the rate for whites. The Great Recession wiped out 50 years of rising Black homeownership, with the rate now as low as it was before the Fair Housing Act. The net worth of a typical Black family is about one-tenth that of a white family. Black household incomes still have not returned to pre-recession levels. Economic policies that don’t specifically address racial disparity do not reduce racial disparities. 7 / Racism threatens our national security. “If Americans refuse to meaningfully address race relations, the United States will grow weaker and less effective both at home and as an international actor,” Los Angeles Urban League President and CEO Michael Lawson and international policy expert Dr. Jerrold D. Green wrote in May. The international community has watched the United States struggle with its twin pandemics of racism and COVID-19 with horror and disgust. To regain the respect of the international community and our standing within it, the United States must fully commit to ending institutional racism. FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK 19 LESSONS OF COVID-19 By Marc H. Morial President & CEO, National Urban League America in 2020 is an America unmasked. The coronavirus disease epidemic that upended every aspect of American life has exposed the naked face of institutional and interpersonal racism. While there are endless lessons to be learned from this era of COVID-19, here are 19: 7 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 8 / Essential workers, disproportionately people of color, are undervalued. Millions of low-wage essential workers risked their lives on the COVID-19 frontlines for a median pay of $13.48, according to the Brookings Institution. Twenty percent of them live in poverty and more than 40% rely on public assistance. The nightly applause from New York City windows was inspiring, but it didn’t keep a roof over anyone’s head or food on the table. A national living wage tied to inflation is long overdue. 9 / We meet adversity with creativity. High schools held graduations at racetracks and drive-in theaters. Musical groups collaborated online to produce videos. DJ D-Nice launched an Instagram sensation of virtual dance parties— MC Lyte convened one to support the National Urban League. 10 / Lax firearms laws increase the risk of violence, and Black communities pay the price. Americans have purchased millions more guns than usual in 2020, leading to a surge in gun violence. A disturbing detail: Purchases have been higher in states with greater levels of racial animus. Many of these gun sales took place without background checks and no system in place to ensure that guns are handled and stored safely. The tragic stories of children caught in the crossfire make it all too obvious the nation needs a comprehensive gun safety plan. 11 / Election systems need an overhaul. The danger of coronavirus means more Americans need access to absentee voting, extended early voting, and more polling places so voters don’t need to stand too close for extended periods. Instead, some states are limiting access to the polls, especially in Black and Latino neighborhoods where voters stood in line for hours. We need to invest in modernizing and streamlining the voting process. 12 / “Grassroots” is often Astroturf. Armed protesters who stormed state capitols demanding an end to stay-at-home orders appeared to be motivated by a spontaneous uprising. In fact, these demonstrations were organized by wealthy political patrons encouraging the myth that coronavirus is a hoax and shutdowns were a political conspiracy. The misinformation that fuels these dangerous crusades flourishes on social media. Tech companies need to do more to stop it. 13 / Police culture must be dramatically reimagined and reformed. Derek Chauvin appeared neither deterred nor concerned that he was being recorded as he crushed George Floyd’s neck with his knee. In the weeks of protest that followed, police repeatedly used excessive force and unauthorized methods against demonstrators, fully aware of the cameras trained on them. Officers have rarely been held accountable for misconduct. Legislation pending in Congress could change that, but police departments must commit to a transformation of the relationship between officers and the communities they serve. 14 / Workers need fair unemployment insurance. From the moment businesses began shutting down, policymakers recognized that the unemployment insurance program administered by individual states would not be sufficient to keep workers afloat and added a one-time payment and a $600-per-week supplement. Administrative burdens keep 20% to 30% of eligible people from accessing benefits, and many people have waited months for payment. 15 / #SayHerName Even as support for the Black Lives Matter movement skyrocketed in 2020, justice for Black women victims of police violence lagged. Months after Breonna Taylor was killed by police executing an illegitimate warrant and firing “blindly” into her home, no arrests had been made. Black women victims of violence are too often overlooked and forgotten. 16 / Coronavirus intensifies the threat of a Census undercount. The National Urban League’s State of the 2020 Census report in June warned that Black communities stand to lose billions of dollars and their rightful political representation if something is not done quickly to overcome delays caused by the pandemic. The National Urban League has urged an audit of Census operations to ensure a safe and accurate count. 17 / Too many African Americans still lack health insurance. More than five million workers who lost their jobs also lost their families’ health insurance, affecting as many as 27 million Americans. With Black workers losing jobs at twice the rate of whites, the racial health insurance gap has drastically widened. 18 / Cities are the nation’s economic engines. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on America’s cities has shone the spotlight on the nation’s dependence on cities’ economic health. We can’t have a prospering nation unless our cities, large and small, are able to provide the services that keep our industries running. 19 / Mayors are driving the recovery. Absent leadership on the federal level, and in some cases on the state level, it has been left to the nation’s mayors to develop and enforce policies aimed at bringing the pandemic under control and keeping businesses and workers afloat in the meantime. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, Black women mayors, in particular, have taken the lead in speaking out against the brutality and protecting the safety of their communities.8 2020 STATE OF BLACK AMERICA ® UNMASKED 2020 EQUALITY INDEX ™ OVERVIEW NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE DATA PROVIDED BY IHS MARKIT 9 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE BY VALERIE RAWLSTON WILSON, PH.D. This year has quickly developed into a historic moment of truth and clarity for the United States of America. Certainly, the parallel between the year 2020 and the expression “20/20 vision”— a term used to describe visual acuity, or more specifically, perfect vision—should not be overlooked in this moment. This year, systemic racism, economic inequality, and the state of our democracy have been brought into sharp focus as the nation battles a public health crisis, an economic crisis, and social uprisings rightfully fueled by a refusal to allow demands for racial justice and accountability for those in power to go unanswered any longer. Coincidentally, the fact that 2020 is also an election year means that Americans have an opportunity to cast their ballots, representing their vision of what our country should be. As the National Urban League continues to press the case for closing the divide in economic opportunity, education, health, social justice, and civic engagement, the 2020 Equality Index is a critical quantitative tool for tracking Black-white and Hispanic-white racial equality in America. In addition, this year’s Equality Index also includes a 2000 Equality Index, allowing readers to observe how much progress has been made over the last two decades. While the 2020 Equality Index does not capture the effects of the coronavirus pandemic or the resulting economic recession that began in February 2020, it does reflect long- standing racial and ethnic disparities across nearly every area of American life than what have been “unmasked” during these concurrent crises. It also demonstrates that the progress made during more than 10 years of economic expansion was not sufficient to significantly close gaps in economic outcomes or in the area of social justice. In many ways, the persistent racial and ethnic disparities documented in the Equality Index are predictive of what we now see. Unless significant changes are made to dismantle anti-Black racism in our society, it will continue to shape disparate social and economic outcomes for Black Americans and other people of color.Next >